Abstract

The aim of our research is to study the efficiency of interleukin 2 (IL-2) plus melatonin and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in the treatment of patients with not previously treated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Melatonin is a phylogenetically well-preserved molecule with diverse physiological functions. In addition to its well-known regulatory control of the sleep/wake cycle, as well as circadian rhythms generally, melatonin is involved in immunomodulation, hematopoiesis, and antioxidative processes. Recent human and animal studies have shown that melatonin also has important oncostatic properties. EGCG is a major catechin compound in tea extract and is also the most active form among the tea catechins in a variety of biological activities. For instance, EGCG has anticancerogenic, antioxidant, as well antimicrobal activities. Biological therapies are treatments that use natural body substances, or drugs that block them, to treat cancer. IL-2 is a type of biological therapy for the treatment kidney cancer. It is also being evaluated in clinical trials for some other types of cancer including for NSCLC.